THE LIBRARY
OF
THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA
LOS ANGELES
'Wdstwood. Village and
WestfVooA Hills.
John Stevein,
KicQvooLrhj^
THE LIBRARY
OF
THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA
LOS ANGELES
A YEAR AND A DAY
Westwood Village
Westwood Hills
By
John Steven McGroarty
A YEAR AND A DAY
Westivood Village and Westwood Hills
By JOHN STEVEN McGROARTY
The Sunset Sea
ONE DAY in the
Springof theyear
I wandered over
the old historic
Rancho of San Jose
de Buenos Aires in
California of the
South. From its roll-
ing hills there were
glimpses of the vast
expanse of the Pa-
cific, Mother of the
Seas, stretching under turquoise skies to mystical Cathay.
Beyond, to the northward, towered the star-reaching, snow-
crowned peaks of the Sierra Madres. From eastward came the
tenuous hum of the roar of traffic of the great Wonder City of the
West, and of the world. I could see, dim and softened to the eye, the
roofs of its temples and its husy marts of trade. The white, shining
monolith of its Babylonian Tower shone against the bending ^ies
through the veils of the morning haze.
El Rancho San Jose de Buenos Aires — St. Joseph and good air —
California's patron Saint for companion; and the breath of the
desert, blended with the breath of the sea, to sing in one's happy
lungs and dance in a happy heart.
Upon that won-
drous Springtime day
there was yet no sign
of the trespass of the
invading city. Now
and then was a relic
in some form of ruin
that spoke memories
of old days that are
gone — days when
dons and the patri-
archs ruled the glad
land with the gentle
A Remnant of the Old Spanish Days
A YEAR AND A DAY
mmmimmm
Tomato Vines, April, 1929
courtesy of kindly
power.
And there, in the
midst of the hills, fill-
ing a wide field of the
green campagna that
sloped toward the sea,
I came upon an amaz-
ing stretch of new
tomato vines. Garden-
ers were at work, bent
to pleasant toil in the
joyous morning. Soon
there would be red vine apples for soups and salads in the roaring
town, with the old matchless flavor of San Jose de Buenos Aires in
them.
Sped then upon Time's swift wings a year — one little, fleeting
year, that was come and gone so soon that it seemed scarcely to have
been at all.
And then I went back again to the Rancho San Jose de Buenos
Aires. I went back to behold a change of which I had been told — a
change that men said was like a miracle.
Where my beloved vineyard of the tomatoes had been there arose
before my eyes a lovely city of domes and tiled roofs, luring porticos
and cloistered arcades that stood like a Phoenician dream on either
side of wide, sunlit streets.
And it was within the little sweep of just a year and a day that
this almost unbelievable transformation had come to pass.
It is of Westwood Village that I am speaking, newest of the new
cities of California of the South, and in every way the most remark-
able of them all.
When I returned to see again the rolling hills, in the clasp of
which was my vast and
well -beloved tomato
field, there was no time
for pangs of regret.
The amazement that
swept me and the won-
der of what I saw, and
the sheer beautv that is
Westwood Village,
gave no room for any
other thought.
It seems that God.
when He made lovelv
hills and luring vales.
Westwood Village
A Miniature Los Angeles
Four
A YEAR AND A DAY
Tower of the Holmby
Building
had it also in His great plan to give
man the opportunity to add still to the
picture.
Sometimes man has blundered path-
etically, and even stupidly, in his efforts.
Too often, alas, man makes almost
hideous, by his crude blundering, hills
and vales that were entrancingly lovely
before his hand was laid upon them.
But Westwood Hills is the one place
in the world that I would say the op-
portunity laid open to man has been
taken advantage of in the right way, to
the fullest and most satisfying extent.
Westwood Hills, standing now where
once basked in the sun the waste lands
of Rancho San Jose de Buenos Aires,
is the vision of the Janss Investment
Corporation of Los Angeles. This out-
standing real estate institution has
earned the everlasting gratitude of us
all for this one single achievement, even though it never might have
had, or ever will have, another.
With splendid vision and a full sense of responsibility, the Janss
people, when they secured possession of the Rancho San Jose de
Buenos Aires, determined to create an ideal community that should
be ideal not only in its physical aspects but in the temper and char-
acter of its inhabitants. The Janss Investment Corporation has built
for itself an enduring monument, both of beauty and practicability.
It was first proposed to build what would become a second
Hollywood, in the respect that it would become a center of motion
picture producing and manufacturing activities. And it is true that
various of the great motion picture corporations were eager to trans-
fer their business to
this new scene. How-
ever, it was onlv the
Fox Film Corporation
that took definite steps.
It is reported that the
Fox Corporation will
make added improve-
ments totaling millions
of dollars during th?
coming year. The sud-
den and phenomenal
increase in land values The Dome Building
Five
A YEAR AND A DAY
Sorority Row
on the old Rancho,
immediately upon its
subdivision was so
great that it bounded
beyond the reach of
the other film com-
panies for the pur-
poses of studios.
The Janss Invest-
ment Corporation held
invulnerably from the
very start to its vision
of Westvvood Village.
It did not permit, and still does not permit, the erection of any build-
ing of any kind whatsoever that does not fit into the picture. The new
city is almost wholly constituted of the best type of Mediterranean
architecture. It might well be a city of Phoenicia or of Spain, so
alluring is its loveliness.
The Streets of Old Monterey
Indeed, upon my second visit I was shown a drawing of a pro-
posed improvement of a very beautiful section of the old Rancho.
A drawing of the way that this part of the Rancho would be when
improved. Not knowing what the drawing portrayed, I was asked
what I thought it might be. And I said, "Well, this spot is very
familiar to me. It is a place on the Island of Mallorca, in the heart
of the Mediterranean, which I saw when I had a loan from God and
had gone wandering in ships and caravans."
This little incident illustrates better than any words of mine
could possibly convey, the deft touch and the scrupulous care with
which the Janss people are making Westwood Village and Westwood
Hills the outstanding wonder in a world of wonders.
With beauty as its very religion, how logical it then seems that
Westwood Hills has already become, and is destined to become still
more so, the educa-
tional center of Cali-
fornia of the South. In
the finest setting in the
world Learning has al-
ready lighted there her
torch-a torch that will
burn throughout the
years to come as a bea-
con light for the foot-
steps of the generations
seeking the shrine of
knowledge and beauty.
Patio of the Masonic Building
Six
A YEAR AND A DAY
The first great buildings of the "University of California at Los
Angeles" already tower over Westvvood Village. When fully com-
pleted this great University alone will represent an investment of
ninety millions of dollars. The entire project will include not less
than twenty buildings.
Besides the University there will be numerous other schools,
among which may be mentioned Marymount School for Girls, St.
John's Military Academy, Holmby College and Westlake School for
Girls, Harvard Military Academy and Mount St. Mary's Girls'
College. There is also planned at Westwood Village a Paulist
Fathers Parochial School, and nearby are three public Grammar
Schools, a public High School and a public Junior High School.
With the memory of old college towns through which I have
wandered throughout America — old college towns with quaint little
homes and unimaginative sorority and fraternity houses and the
plain old halls of education, I was fairly swept off my feet by the
glorious provision that has been made for students' homes in West-
wood Village.
The sorority and fraternity houses there are like gorgeous
private residences, the sorority houses all strung down a sunlit
sloping avenue, and the fraternity houses beyond on a street that
winds through nooks of the hills. Unless so informed, the passer-by
would never dream that these handsome mansions shelter and house
the eager youth of the University of California at Los Angeles.
Trees grow like magic on the rich, long-rested soil of the old
Rancho San Jose de Buenos Aires. And thousands of trees have been
planted there to add the last exquisite touch of beauty to a scene
that never lacked beauty. The flame of flowers and the luring green
of hedges everywhere greets the eye.
The glory of the land of glory is this Westwood Village, the great
mountains shining above it and the shimmer of the sunlit sea below.
It is a place of dreams come true, of vision realized — a miracle in an
age from which it was thoughtlessly said miracles had passed.
CHURCHES
Several denominations have established houses of worship in
Westwood Hills. Among them you will find the Westwood Com-
munity Congregational Church, the Westwood Community Methodist
Church, Twenty-eighth Church of Christ, Scientist; the University
Presbvterian Church, and the Church of St. Paul the Apostle (Paulist
Fathers).
Seven
THE Westwood Mortgage
AND Investment Company,
a subsidiary of the Janss Invest-
ment Corporation, is definitely
committed to Janss standards
in all types of construction.
A-1 quality materials.
The best of artisans.
All the savings that go with
large production and efficient
management.
REMEMBER
The Westwood Mortgage and
Investment Company is a Janss
organization. Your financing or
building problems will be
handled by Janss trained men,
with Janss responsibility be-
hind each transaction.
Wes
Mortgage at
Con
INCOME STR
BUSIN
Nationally ac
used in our b
BE
The advertised arti
on repeated order;
vidual transaction;
such materials and
tain to be the best
advertised product,
of confidence and
not only in the in
source of satisfacti
is desired.
The Westwood
MENT Company hoi
essential details, an
is pleasingly varied
lasting value are 1
architects and bui
nation.
vood
i Investment
lany
CTURES
,SS BLOCKS
HOMES
'tised products are
dings —
USE
depends for success
ither than the indi-
jnce, the quality of
tented articles is cer-
•tainable. Nationally
re a rightful source
(uce sales resistance
1 transfer but are a
in the event a resale
iRTCAGE AND InVEST-
is standardized in its
/hile the architecture
e elements that make
wn to home-owners,
rs throughout the
i^iP
^BbpM
Wv^M
■
yJl^
1
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SAFE FINANCING
The safety of the buyer is
considered in the proper pro-
portioning of first and second
paper, the first lien being of
sufficiently modest proportions
that this company, or any
financial house, should find it
an attractive investment.
CONSULTATION WITHOUT
OBLIGATION
You are invited to confer
with our executives in regard
to your financing problems.
Ask for their suggestions.
LOANS
IN ANY AMOUNT
We make loans on improved
and unimproved property.
A YEAR AND A DAY
A COMMUNITY OF CULTURE
To live in Westwood Hills is to live in the midst of beauty and
to enjoy the society of neighbors whose cultural ideals are the same
as your own. Carefully drawn restrictions safeguard the entire
property for periods ranging from twenty to fifty years. So great
has been the building activity that a prominent Los Angeles city
official publicly described the development as "miraculous."
The strategic location, between the city and the sea, is of benefit
to all members of the family. You may don your bathing suit at
home and in a few minutes be at your favorite beach, or fishing from
boat, pier or strand. The distance from the city is just right for a
half-hour of clear thought and relaxation.
Four splendid golf courses, both public and private, adjoin the
property. Tennis courts and riding academies are a few minutes
from your door. Many miles of mountain trails will lure you to the
beauty of the hills.
The incomparable school facilities of Westwood Hills will
enable your children to make invaluable social contacts. To live in
the neighborhood of U.C.L.A. is a rare privilege in itself. The
campus embraces some three hundred eighty-five acres, a large
proportion of which is being transformed into a park. The business,
apartment, sorority and fraternity areas are carefully segregated
and all of these buildings are subjected to rigid restrictions as to
cost and architecture.
Westwood Hills has been divided into four sections, each equally
desirable and each restricted to dwellings of a certain cost. The
area lying between Pico and Santa Monica Boulevards has been
set aside for homes ranging in value from S6,000 to $10,500; from
Santa Monica to Wilshire Boulevards are homes valued from S9.500
to $18,500; while north of Wilshire and including the Holmby Hills
section, the values run from $18,500 to $250,000.
We believe we are doing every family a service when we urge
them to locate where they will want to live today, next year or twenty
years hence. Families with children cannot logically put off the
choice of a home site, for here you may have your youngsters with
you from kindergarten, through public or private schools, to grad-
uation from the University. You, as the head of a family, are urged
to locate your home noiv, where progress should assist toward
financial independence.
If you cannot quite afford the home of your choice now, make
the small initial payment today on a lot in the section which you
prefer. You will be greatly pleased with the reasonable prices of
these desirable homesites.
Drive out Pico, Santa Monica, Wilshire or Beverly Boulevard,
to any of our tract offices. There is no obligation in connection with
our service.
Ton
A YEAR AND A D A Y
FIFTY MILES OF BRIDLE TRAILS
^~rhc) heart
of an- I jij
Unemllea •
IdAlE
FOUR GOLF COUIWESi
AOJOININO
WES7WOO0 HIUS ■
Cmilorens
PLfcVGROUMO
Eleven
A YEAR AND A DAY
WESTWOOD Business Village offers the utmost
in modern shopping convenience. Here you
will find branches of several large downtown estab-
lishments, as well as many of the popular chain
stores.
There are now approximately seventy merchants
ready to serve you. Several new concerns are either
building now or planning structures in the Village.
FIRMS YOU know: Desmond's- Westwood, Safe-
way Market, Campbell's Book Store, Ralphs
Market, Geo. Hunt, Furniture; Weaver-Jackson,
Security-First National Trust and Savings Bank,
Citizens National Trust and Savings Bank, Van de
Kamp's Bakery, Master Service Garage, Kelley
Music, Potter Hardware, etc., etc.
Twelve
A Y EAR AND A D A Y
OUR Rental Department is located
in the Dome Building in Westwood
Village. If you are not ready to buy,
we may be able to place you in one of
these handsome apartment houses. There
are also bungalow courts, duplex and
flat buildings, as well as single resi-
dences, both furnished and unfurnished.
Rentals are moderate.
Tliiitocn
A YEAR AND A DAY
ENCLOSED GARDENS are a part of our
heritage from the Spanish-Mexican
days of old California.
Those who have enjoyed the incom-
parable atmospheric conditions of this
area will tell you of nights of delightful
rest, undisturbed by the clang of traffic
signals or the shriek of sirens. They will
tell you of breathing air fresh from the
Pacific, of freedom from carbon mon-
oxide gas, generated by the thousands
of automobiles in the congested areas.
Fourteen
A YEAR AND A DAY
University of California at Los Angeles
Artist's Sketch of the "Streets of Monterey"
Sixteen
Print i-d in the \' illage
by tln-
Weslicood Hills I^ress
\
PAMPHIET BINoii
Syracuse, N. Y.
Slockfon. Colif.
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